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I. A. TIMMIS 8v G: FORBES. 'ELEGTRO MAGNETIC GAR BRAKE.

Patented Aug. 10, 1886.

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I. A. TIMMIS & FORBES.

ELEGTRO MAGNETIC GAR BRAKE.

No. 347.075. Patented Aug. 10, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Orricnt ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMISAND GEORGE FORBES, OF LONDON, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND.

ELECTRO-MAGNETIC CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 347,075, dated August 10, 1886,

Application filed June 7, 1886. Serial No. 204,385. (No model.) Patented in England May 1, 1885, No. 10,852; in France May 1, 1885, N0.16B,627; in Belgium May 5, 1885, No. 68,776, and in Germany May 8,188.11). 33,634.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ILLIUS AUGUSTU TIMMIS and GEORGE FoRBns, citizens of London, residing in the city of London, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin ElectroMagnetic Oar-Brakes; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

tion consists in the provision of an electric magnetic car-brake wherein an electro magnet of annular form is arranged in juxtaposition to a'disk or wheel fixed on a revolving shaft, whereby when said electro-magnet is energized its attraction for the said wheel or disk will tend to brake or stop the same.

Our invention further consists in the combination, with a magnetic disk or wheel applied to a shaft, of an annular electromagnet arranged in juxtaposition to said wheel or disk, and so constructed that when said electro-magnet is energized it will be brought into contact with said wheel or disk, and will thereby brake the same.

Our invention still further consists in the combination, with a disk or wheel of magnetic material secured to the revolving shaft or axle, of an annular electroanagnet surrounding said shaft and provided with rings or annular plates of magnetic material,which,when the said eleetro-magnet is energized, will be attracted toward the disk or wheel and brought into contact therewith,'thereby braking the wheel or disk. V

Our invention still further consists in the combination, with a wheel or disk, of an annular electro magnet arranged concentrically with-relation toithe axis of said wheel or disk and provided with two or more annular plates or rings of magnetic material, one or more of said rings being sustained by springarms and arranged with their flat surfaces at an angle to flat surface of the said wheel or disk, so that when said elcctro-magnet is energized by a feeble current but a small portion of said ring will be brought into contact with the surface of said wheel or disk, and as the current is increased the surfaccsin contact are correspondingly increased, thereby increasing the power of the brake.

Our invention still further consists in the combination, with an electromagnetic carbrake, of means, substantially as hereinafter described, whereby when a train of cars provided with such brakes is accidentally sepa rated or broken the brake will be applied antomatically.

Our invention still further consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and specifically claimed.

While we have in the accompanying drawings illustrated our invention only as applied to the axles or wheels of railway-vehiclcs, and while it is intended, mainly, forsuch application, we wish it to be understood that it may be applied to revolving shafts in any position whatever.

In carrying our invention into effect as applied to railway-vehicles, we take a railwaywheel and to one side of the same firmly attach a rim or disk of magnetic material, by preference rolled or cast steel. This ring is faced up smoothly, and is of any convenient width or thickness, and is fastened to the wheel bybolts and nuts or other convenient means. The outer edge of this ring is fixed as near as it can be to the outside rim or edge of the wheel, having regard, if it be on the back of the wheel, to guard-rails, cross-tics, 810. To a boss upon the axle of the wheel we attach, by arms, projections, or a disk, an annular hollow ring or box of soft iron, open upon that side which faces the wheel, and within said box or casing we place a coil of insulated wire or tape, the said box or casing forming an electro-magnet whose poles are respectively at the two'edges of the open side of the box or casing. The axle of the wheel is free to revolve within the boss, and the latter is so placed that the annular electro-mag- 10c net will be sustained at a short distance from the ring on the wheel, rotary motion of the boss and the annular electro-magnet being prevented by means of arms or steps attached to the frame of the vehicle, or, by preference, to the other axle or axles, as by this means the brake vibration is not communicated directly to the body ofvehicle. hethrust ofthe brakelevers are utilized in breaking other axles. On or near each edge of the annular electromagnets, we place brackets, (by preference of spring-steeh) aml on these brackets we fasten four rings, one ring being outside the outer annular box-edge, the second inside the same, the third inside the inner annular box-edge, and the fourth outside the same edge, so that one ring is on each side of the two edges of the annular box. These four rings are made, by preference, of hard rolled steel, and project farther toward the wheel than the edges of the annular electromagnet. These projecting surfaces are inclined at a suitable angle, so that when the rings are drawn toward the wheel only asmall surface touches the ring on the wheel, but as they are pressed still more, and give way by reason of the pressure causing the supporting springs to give, the surface in contact with the ring on the wheel increases till. the maximum surfacecontaet is reached, when these rings and the edges of the soft-iron electro-magnet are all in contact with the ring on the wheel. It will be evident that special means must be provided to allow this spring action of the rings, and we prefer to divide them in such number of parts (and these parts may be slid in contact or not in absolute contact) that they may work easily.

These springs,described above,may be made of a non-magneticmetal, or they may be made of any suitable spring metal; and instead of being in the shape of brackets they may be arranged in any convenient way, and be in any suitable shape, so long as they enable the rings they support to give under a pressure which is more powerful than thepowerin the springs. There may be four rings, as before described, or there may be any other convenient number.

Referring, now, to the accompanying drawings, illustrating our invention and the ma nnor in which the same is applied to a car or other railway-vehicle wheel, Figure 1 is an elevation of a railway-car wheel having our invention applied thereto; Fig. 2, an edge view ofthcsame with the lower halfin section; Figs. and .1, similar views showing, respectively, a modified form of brake and the same applied to a disk on the car-axle, instead of to the disk or plate on the wheel; and Fig. 5, a detail of a train, showing main battery X and smaller or emergencybatteries, I) 7); Fig. 6, a side elevation of a car, showing the thrust of the brakelevcrs Z 1 taken up by the next axle; and Fig. 7, an enlarged detail view, in section, of a portion of the braking mechanism.

A designates a car-wheel of the ordinary or any suitable form, mounted upon an axle, a, to

which it is fastened, and with which it turns.

3 designates a flat ring, of magnetic material, fastencd to the wheel A by bolts b I) I).

C designates a metallic boss or bush fastened upon the axle a, a short distance from the wheel A, by means of bolts and nuts 0 c 0. Upon the boss 0 is placed another boss, I), which is free to move laterally a short distance upon the boss 0, and is provided with six radial arms, (I d (l d d d, onto each of which is fixed an other arm, 6, by means of bolls At or near the extremities of the arms 6 c is secured by bolts g g an annular box or casing, E, open on one side, and containing a coil of insulated wire, G.

Against the two edges of the open side of the box or casing 1*) are fixed, by means of screws or other convenient means, two annular flat rings, jj, and on either side of these two edges are fitted four rings, 7. k 7.? 7;. These latter are attached to the annular box or casing E by means of springs l. I.

The box or casing E is kept from revolving by means of a bar, m, which is fixed lo the frame N of the vehicle and to the outside of the annular box by means of a casting, o, and pin 1), or, by preference, to the axle of the next pair of wheels. (See Fig. o.)

In Fig. 3 of the drawings we have shown a special form of car-wheel adapted for the reception of our improved brake, the ring B being made to fasten into the tire of the wheel, as shown, and so help to secure it on the wellknown Mansell principle. The electromagnetic brake shown in this figure differs from that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in that the four rings 7: If It 7.: are omitted, and the rings 7' j are made much broader on the face, so as to present a greater braking-surface to the ring B.

in Fig. 4; a special disk, 1:1", takes the place of the disk 3 in Figs. 1, 2, aml S, and is socured directly to the axle (L in operation.

The parts being constructed and arranged as described, an electric current is generated, say, for instance, by a primary battery, one

'being placed in each car to which the brakes are applied, with suitable connections from it to the wire of the annular electro magnet. These connections are so arranged that the brake of each carriage can have a. com plete electrical arrangement, including battery, brakes, switches, &c. or the entire series of brakes on atrain may be operated from a single battery, suitable connections between the cars being provided and small emergency-batterics placed in each vehicle. \Vhere a separate battery on each car of a train is provided, the connectors are so arranged at the end of each car that when a separation of the cars accidentally occurs the connectors at the ends of the cars where the separation has taken place will antomatically come together, thus completing the circuit through the annular electro-magnets and the battery, and automatically applying the brakes. I

Instead of using a primary battery, as hereinbefore mentioned, a secondary battery in each vehicle may be employed and charged in any desired or suitable manner. It may also, perhaps be found advisable to operate all the brakes on a train of cars by means of a current of electricity supplied from a single battery placed on one of the cars, or from a dynamo-electric generator placed upon one of the ears; but it is evident that in this case the brakes would not act on cars detached from the train unless emergency-batteries, described above, were put in each vehicle, and we find this arrangement to be the most economical, as shown in Fig. 5-principal battery X, emergency-batteries b I) b 1).

Instead of putting the electro magnetic brake on one side of a wheel, we may, if necessary, place it on both sides, and instead of, or in addition to, applying the brake to the wheels we may, as before described, apply the brakes to a disk or disks secured upon the axle.

Having thus fully described the construction and operation of our invention,wc claim- 1. In an electromagnetic brake, the combination, with a wheel or disk a'flixed to a revolving axle, of an annular electro -magnet consisting of a continuous helix incased in an annular box which entirely'surrounds the axle, arranged in juxtaposition to said wheel or disk, a generator of electricity, and suitable connections, substantially as described.

' 2, In an electromagnetic brake, the combination, with a revolving disk or wheel secured to the axle of the car, of an annular electromagnet consisting of a helix inclosed in an annular box or case arranged in proximity to said wheel, and so arranged, substantially as described, as to be capable of slight lateral motion toward said disk, whereby when said eleetro-Inagnet is energized it will be drawn toward and make frictional contact with said disk, as set forth.

3. In an electromagnetic brake,-the combination, with a wheel or disk fixed to a shaft, of an annular electro-magnet arranged in proximity to said disk, and provided with a ring or rings of metal interposed between the electro-magnet and the disk and having their surv faces next to the wheel or disk at an angle, so that their surface contact will be increased accordingly as the strength of the magnet is increased, substantially as described.

4. In an electro-magnetic brake, the combination, with a wheel or disk secured to a shaft, of an electro-magnet arranged in proximity to said wheel or disk and sustained on springarms proceeding from a boss on said shaft, the said boss having play longitudinally on the shaft, and the electro-magnet being prevented from revolving by means of an arm attached to a suitable support, substantially as described.

5. In an electromagnetic brake, the combination, with the shaft a and the disk B, secured thereto, of the annular box or casing E, open on one side and containing a coil of wire, the plates or rings j j and k k k k, secured to said box, the boss D, having radial arms, to which said box is secured, and the boss a, secured to the shaft a, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

6. In an electromagnetic brake, the combination, with an annular electro magnet mount- -ed' upon the axle of the car, of a lever secured to said annular magnet and to the next adjoiningaxle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS. GEORGE FORBES.

Witnesses:

JAMES NoxEs, JEREMIAH JOHN EDWARDS. 

